Film Cameras to buy in 2024 

Started on Minolta, I just can’t find a compelling reason to ever try another system. I have absolutely no complaints with the lenses, and I’ve loved shooting with the X700 and a few members of the SRT series.

Just wanted to mention that regarding Nikkormat, the FT and FTn use a mercury battery and the FT2 and FT3 use the modern SR44.

Nice recommendations! I would also suggest Mamiya C220/330 camera's (6x6 TLR's). These are much heavier than their Rolleiflex or Yashica alternatives, but very sturdily made. If you can find one, the underrated Contax Aria is a relatively modern 35mm camera that offers everything except autofocus. I still have one: works fine and accepts fantastic lenses.

A great video (as always). K mount cameras from Pentax and Ricoh can be robust. I purchased a Ricoh XR-1 in 1986, second hand, as a teenager. I chose Ricoh as this is what I had used in high school where we used only Ricoh manual SLRs. The shop owner pointed out that it did not have aperture priority - I had no idea what that was and he explained. I was perplexed and asked why would you need that when you had a match needle in the viewfinder.. it still works flawlessly to this day and even the old battery is still going.

good recommendations and glad to hear about the yashica :) i personally started with yashica fx3, i think it would be a pretty strong choice as well considering the low price, portability and the amount of lenses available :D

It's important to find a camera that has a large selection of first quality lenses. It is the lens that is the most important choice for the best photos. As you progress, you will want to get an external light meter and learn how to use it.

Nice sum-up of great analog cameras! BTW the OM-1n also uses the 1.35V 625 battery that is now not available anymore. Only the OM-2 and later switched to the 2x LR44 (better use 2x SR44 or an equivalent 3V block). Also you have to watch out for damaged prisms on OM-1 / OM-1n and OM-2 / OM-2n bodies, but apart from that they're awesome!

I would add the Minolta XD-5/XD-7 to the list for recommendation. The XD-5 in particular is relatively affordable and as you mention, the Minolta lenses are fantastic. Loving the videos, hope to see more.

There lots of new clip on light meters that are very chesp and very accurate. They are a boon to older SLRs with dead meters. Can make them useful again.

Great video. The Pentax Spotmatic range will work fine with an SR44 1.5v battery. They have a bridge circuit built in which automatically reduces the voltage to 1.35v. Same with the Canon EF.

I started with a Minolta X-700 with 50mm f1,4 and 28mm f2,8, great Minolta lenses. The 6x6 Mamiya C22 is in the mail and i can't wait for it to come, although it was not in your list 😄

Hi Max, many thanks! I'm very happy with the Minolta XD (XD-7 in Europe), have some minolta lenses, very high quality and affordable! Best wishes Ralf

What about the Nikon F3 build like a tank and great looking - I use it now almost 40 yrs (I am 72 ) and can pass it on to my grandchildten

The Nikkormats weren't just designed for students, but as an entry-level camera to the Nikon system. First decent SLR I had was an FT2 and it shot thousands of Ektachromes on racing circuits the length and breadth of the country without a glitch. A total tank. I moved on to an OM-1 (and another, later) but never forgot that FT2. Couple of years ago I bought an FTn to go with a slack handful of Nikon glass I'd accumulated over the years. Another tank.

you mentioned mostly manual focusing cameras. for anyone starting with the film photography, I always suggest to start with first AF body, and later on move on manual focus. the problem with the manual focus is definitely at the beginning at least, there will be photos that are out of focus + it's harder to focus manually. I'd recommend to look at Maxxum 5 (although I don't own it). I never heard about issues on this cameras, plus lot's of A mount lenses either from Minolta and later on from Sony.

I'd also recommend the Minolta XD line, and specifically the XD-7/11/S. This is basically a Leica R3 for a lot less money. I have the XD-S version (Japan market version), and it's fantastic, with great lenses. This was the last all-metal line, just before the X-700 type.

Max - Great video. I like how straight froward you are with the information. I am now a new Subscriber. I will recommend your channel to my friend and MIndfulness Photography Class. I am collecting a list of recommended film cameras and I really enjoy your information.... Thanks for sharing and keep the videos coming.

My first serious camera was a Nikomat FTn(Japanese market name instead of Nikkormat). I still have it and other than needing a new battery it still works. Great camera!

Very good and wouldn’t argue with your recommendation’s, the mercury batteries can be overcome with a rubber adapter with a button battery of the right v and if its not exact there is now charts that give you a adjustment factor, also worth mentioning and its not covered a lot, is curtain failure, due to deteriorating material like light seals, I have a few Sa1s and Ha1s that range and Spotmatics and the curtains have become an issue on about four there isn’t much out there on the replacing front. Parts, I find aren’t often an issue, apart from shutter levers and associated externals, the internals rarely break. Good and simple advice Its good to see a younger individual going into this genre, i think it will continue to grow as vinyl, its tactile, with outside interest. Watch for the following photo.

I recently refurbished my Spotmatic SP2 it needed new light seals and a mirror bumper I got the supplies at Walmart for a few dollars. I had let the camera sit for a couple of years until somebody gave me a roll film and that's when I found out I had bad light seals . I bought the camera because it came in a kit with a 35mm3.5, 50mm1.4 & A 135mm3.5 Takumar lenses with original lens hoods , filters , extension tubes , 2x teleconverter all for $ 100.00 it was to good of a deal for me to pass up

Later SLRs can be found for a steal since they have very little value for collectors, but electronics are living on borrowed time.

When I was young I used 35mm. Then I started my apprenticeship and realised that medium and large format produced much higher quality results.

For the Pentax system (which is the only mount that is alive to this day), I highly recommend the K-series, especially the KX as it is the top of line mechanical camera of the series, meaning full readout in the viewfinder including aperture and shutter speed, match needle, MLU, DoF preview, etc.. and its as reliable as the K1000. Also worth mentioning is the K2 DMD which has a reiable hybrid shutter (mechanical for faster shutter speeds) and a full viewfinder readout. KM which is a step up from the K1000. Of course, K1000 is also good but in my opinion, massively overhyped. Then, there's the MX which is the smallest fully mechanical SLR in the world which is not as reliable as the K-series but still quiet high up there. The problem with the MX is there's a ton out there that's bashed and battered or just purely used and not maintained so best to find one in great condition and pay the premium. I know, Max, you are not a fan of the ME and ME super which is fair enough as Pentax has used mirror foam that degrades and turns to goo. It just so happens that it is placed just above the shutter mechanism which then makes it stick. The worst part is one will have to open the camera up to access this even if the fix is just to clean it up. If one is looking for automatic metering, then I highly recommend the Super A / Program which is the newer version of the ME Super which does not have this problem. I also recommend the MV1 which is full auto only BUT instead of using foam, Pentax started using a different material that does not degrade like the foam does so even if the MV1 is supposedly the cheaper version of the ME Super, it is more reliable. One of the best things about using Pentax is the backwards and forwards compatibility. One can shoot with a modern lens on a film body and vice versa which is the almost same as Nikon F but Pentax's backwards compatibility is a few steps ahead. One can also adapt M42 lenses easily with a Pentax-M42 adapter which you cannot do with Nikon F. Something that is completely out of the radar of most people are the Miranda cameras from the 60s and 70s (not the crappy new ones before they got sold to Dixons). Miranda only made camera bodies and they were pretty good at it. Not only they were quite expensive but also very well built. In 1974, Miranda made the Miranda TM which has an M42 mount which gives Miranda users access to M42 lenses. Not only it is one of the most beautiful cameras ever made, it is also fully mechanical and has interchangeable viewfinders. Because they are not well known in the mainstream, they are also still pretty cheap. Obviously, I am a sucker for mechanical cameras so happy to learn if there are good finds still to be had out there like Miranda cameras.

Cant seem to add a photo, but i collect cameras and lenses and have all the 35mm models you spoke of, plus many others, including the folding and even a couple box, take a look at Martin Henson and Shoot Like a Boss on RU-vid both very good, also Simon’s Utak on lenses particularly pentax, plus Rob Trek on everything Olympus/OM M 4/3 Pal2tech on Fuji and lastly Photography online that is a group of photographers in uk who present a monthly show and covers everything photographic. Good Luck! Regards David

I'm surprised that you didn't mention the Pentax 645. OK, so it doesn't have interchangeable backs, but it is an excellent camera with a good range of lenses. They are also very good value for the money.

What about Nikon F series?(F2, F3)

In any case, you have forgotten a robust, reliable, but also affordable camera brand that offers everything from beginners to professionals. So what about the Praktica cameras from the former GDR? And if I look at the argument against the Nikon F series, Praktica also offers an affordable alternative with interchangeable viewfinders on a par with the Nikon F2 and Nikon F3. The Praktica VLC, the Praktica VLC2 and the Praktica VLC3 are available with all accessories (prism viewfinder, waist-level viewfinder and magnifying finder, special clip-on flash shoe, adjustable telescope for the prism viewfinder, original Praktica camera strap) and one or two lenses in total for 200 - 350€, fully functional and for that you might get a Nikon F2 without lens and the prism viewfinder and if you're lucky, even a lens is included. As I said, the Praktica VLC models are fully equipped. And I deliberately chose the cheapest comparison brand with Nikon and the Nikon F2, as the Canon F-1 series or the Pentax LX would be even more expensive and out of reach for students, whereas with Praktica even the professional model would be within reach for them if you don't need the full equipment with all interchangeable viewfinders 😉 Just take a look, especially at the third Praktica generation, also known as the Praktica L series, which also includes the Praktica VLC cameras. There are also a number of more beginner-friendly cameras to discover, some of which you can get with a lens for as little as €15 - €30 😉 Greetings from Germany wishes Lutz Addendum: In the second video you described the Zenit and the Praktica as Russian cameras and briefly mentioned them. The Praktica are definitely not Russian cameras but East German cameras from the former GDR. You can't throw that into one pot in terms of quality. This may be the case with the Praktica cameras that were produced at the end of the 1980s shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall and shortly afterwards, i.e. all Praktica MTL models should be treated with caution. However, this only applies to the Praktica cameras that were produced so late. Everything that was produced up to around the mid-1980s is perfectly fine as long as the previous owner handled it with care. If the previous owner didn't handle it with care, any camera can end up being junk afterwards. 😁

How about pentax LX? Is it still worth to purchases on 2024

I've only been into photography for the last 2 to 3 years? And I always look up digital cameras but never film cameras. I just won an auction with four film cameras and an older Polaroid. All of these recommended are older cameras. Do they just not make film cameras besides point and shoots anymore? Or are all the best ones, just old cameras?

I think you forgot Pentax mx and its more automatic sibling the me and me super and perhaps also the kx and the IMHO overrated k1000. This also opens up to a huge range of excellent lenses from the Pentax K mount system.

Curious why you dont recommend the Weincell mercury replacement batteries? I've been using them in a couple of old cameras and they seem to be ok ?

What about the Canon F1 and T90?

Hahahaha! My Nikon Nikomat is lovely, solidly built and should last for 2 lifetimes. I have a very clean copy, and I shan't ever sell it.

If you already are using a Film camera, why add another? The Pentax Spotmatic is good. Usually no meter! Nikon-F, Leica M3 all old but great! Personally I am done with film. I will slowly finish my stock of film.. Digital a way better way!

Sorry but Pentax Spotmatic cameras were never ever considered as 'entry level'

What no Canon ?